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National Museum to declare Murtala, Azikiwe and Balewa tombs as monument sites

Channels TelevisionUpdated June 20, 2012

The National Commission for Museum and Monument (NCMM), has revealed that the tombs of the late General Murtala Muhammed, Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and the historical site of Oloibiri oil well, will soon be declared as national heritage sites.

The tomb of Late Tafawa Balewa is now a tourist centre.

The head of the Department of Monuments Heritage and Sites with NCMM, Mrs. Adama Muhammed has made this known.

According to her, NCMM has been working on about 24 heritage sites in the country, in a bid to make them fit to be declared, national heritage sites.

She noted that the commission has succeeded in establishing 65, such monuments.

“NCMM has the power to declare monuments because of their standing value in the areas in which they are found.

Explaining the role of the Monument commission, Mrs Muhammed stated that “we (NCMM) maintain the monuments and artifacts, we give licenses and permit private and local governments that want to establish museums to do so.”

Former Military Head of State, Murtala Mohammed was assassinated on February 13, 1976 and buried in Kano, while the first President, Nnamdi Azikwe, died on May 11, 1996 and was buried in Onitsha.

The late Balewa, the only Prime Minister of an independent Nigeria, died on January 15, 1966 and was buried in Bauchi. His tomb has since become a tourist attraction.

Oloibiri is a small community in Ogbia Local Government Area in Bayelsa, Niger Delta region of Nigeria, where crude oil was first discovered in commercial quantity on January 15, 1956 by Shell Darcy.